Toilet-paper-serving apparatus.



Patented Mar. 5, |901.

-v C. G. PETERSON. vTOILET PAPER SERVING APPARATUS.

(Application led Oct. 6, 1897.)

f2 lf2 (No Model.)

u: co.. vnof CHARLES G. PETERSON,

i rates..

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS;

TOILET-PAPER-S ERVI NG APPARATU S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 669,178, dated March 5,1901. Applieatie'n filed October 6. 1897. Serial No. 654,307. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.:

` Beitknown that I, CHARLES G. PETERsoN,a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Toilet Apparatus, whichare fully set forth in the following specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of thisinvention is to provide a novel toilet apparatusadapted to contain toilet-sheets of a form described and mechanism fordelivering sheets of that form one by one. This mechanism is shown inconnection with mechanism adapted to control its operation and to becontrolled by the deposit of a coin.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation ofacabinetembodyingmyinvention and containing toilet-sheets. Fig. 2 is avertical section at the line 2 2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section at theline 3 3 on Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail elevations of thecoin-controlled mechanism in positions after the deposit of the coinrespectively before and after the manipulation of the delivering device.

The toilet-sheet which I employ is seen at A in Fig. 1. It is made ofpaper, preferably paraffined or otherwise waterproofed, of sufficientsize to substantially cover the seat of the water-closet and providedwith a suitable aperture A. My apparatus for delivering this sheetcomprises a cabinet B, having, preferably, a glass front B', behindwhich the toilet-sheets are suspended on the hooks B2 B2, the sheetsbeing apertured at ct a to adapt them to be thus hung on the hooks inquantity. Preferably and as illustrated the hooks B2 are set not in thefixed frame of the cabinet, but in a frame or plate C, which is requiredfor purposes hereinafter explained, and is hinged at its upper edge tothe back wall B3 of the cabinet and hangs from said hinges. Springs D D,secured to the back wall of the cabinet, act against the lower part ofthe suspended frame or plate C, with a tendency to force the lower endof said plate forward and to cause it, therefore, to hang in aslightly-inclined position, so that the sheets A, suspended from thehooks, tend to lie against the frame C. The advantage of securing thehooks in the hinged and oscillating frame or plate, rather than in thevfixed rear wall of the cabinet, is that thereby they partake of themovement of the plaie C and of the sheets A, which are suspended fromthe hooks and rest against the plate, whereas if they were rigid withthe back Wall of the cabinet the movement of the plate C would compelthe sheets to move as pivoted on the hooks, and there would arise aliability to wear out the paper about the eyes or apertures d a, withwhich the sheets are provided for the purpose of suspending them on thehooks. The back plate B3 of the cabinet is hinged at one vertical edgeand swings as a door to give access to the cabinet.

F is an inclined ledge or shelf which is rigidly secured in the cabinetand has at its upper rear edge a horizontal lip F', which projects underthe lower edge of the oscillating frame or plate C. The springs D Dproject below the edge of said plate C, and the lip F/ of the ledge F isnotched at F2 F2 to admit the ends of the springs, while permitting theoscillating frame or plate C to pass forward of the rear edge of thelip, above the latter.

Gr is a guard-ledge which extends from side to side of the cabinet abovethe inclined ledge F, leaving a narrow crevice or mouth between the faceof the ledge and the rear edge of the guard through which thetoilet-sheets may be delivered.

K is a shaft journaled in the side cheeks B4 B4 of the cabinet, havingfingers for engaging and delivering the toilet-sheets. To form suchfingers, the shaft is bent out of line with the journaled ends atsuitable points between the ends and is provided with rubber lips K2 K2,the deflectedy portion and such lips constituting the sheet-feedingfingers. One end of the shaft extends out through one of the side cheeksB4 and is provided with a handle K3, by which the shaft may be rotated.On the inner side of the cheek B4, through which the shaft thusprojects, I mount a plate M, which is penetrated by the shaft. Fastonthe shaft,inside the plate, is a ratchet-wheel K5, and pivoted to theplate is a detent pawl or dog adapted to engage the ratchet and preventthe rotation of the shaft, except in one direction. Rigid with theratchet-wheel and with the shaft and at the inner side of the former isa cam M2, having one abrupt IOO shoulder M20 and two eccentricprotuberances M21 and M22, meeting at the shoulder M20 at one side thecenter of the shaft and merging in each other at opposite sides, s0 thatthe periphery of the cam is in general an oval spiral track onceencompassing the axis. Pivoted to the plate M is the trip-dog N, ofwhich one finger overhangs the periphery of the cam M2, the end of thefinger being adapted to engage the shoulder M20 of the cam, saidshoulder being faced in a direction opposite to the teeth of theratchet-wheel, and the dog therefore being adapted to coperatie withsaid shoulder to lock the cam and thev ratchet-wheel against therotation which is permitted by the dog K. The plateM has a depression onits inner face which receives the ratchet-wheel, so that the trip-dog N,pivoted to and lying close against the face of the plate beyond thedepression, projects past the face of the ratchet-wheel into the planeof the cam. On the inner face of the plate M, above and beyond thedepressed portion in which the ratchet-wheel is lodged, I provideupraised ribs M4 and M5, which extend from the upper forward edge of theplate in a course which follows over and down behind the ratchetwheel,constituting the chief portion of the coin-track, a portion of the lowerside of the track being formed, however, by the upper edge of the fingerN of the tripdog and the rear edge of the finger N2 of the same. Thetrip-dog is hung at a point such that the finger Nof the trip-dog,normally under the action of gravity, tends to ride on the periphery ofthe cam M2 and to be engaged behind the shoulder M20, when said shoulderreaches the end of the finger. At this position of the parts thesheet-feeding fingers on the shaft K stand at the forward side of thevertical plane of the shaft overhanging the guard-shelf G in a recessbounded at the bottom by said guard-shelf, at the forward side by avertical panel B5, and at the top by the ledge-panel Bof the cabinet.The plate M extends into the angle formed between the front panel B5 andthe ledge-panel B0, and through the latter the coin-slot B00 is made,which leads into the coin-track made by the ribs M4 and M5. All themechanism mounted on the plate M is protected by a cover plate or shieldB, suitably apertnred to admit the shaft K and guard the coin-track to apoint beyoud-that is, below-the ledge F, so that, thus guarded,thecoin-track leads in to a chamber bounded at the bottom by the bottom ofthe cabinet, at the rear by the back plate or door B3,and at the frontand top by the inclined ledge F. This cham ber therefore constitutes thecoinreceptacle, to which access is gained by opening the door, which issecured by a proper lock. The width of the coin-track is designed to besuch as to admit any coin not larger than a five-cent nickel, and thepitch of the lower side of the track is such that a coin thus enteredthrough the coin-slot will roll down onto the upper edge of the 1in-AM21 of the cam is encountered by the edge of the finger N2 ot' the dog,and the dog is prevented from swinging farther in that direction and thecoin is still prevented from escaping from the coin-track, which is notsufficiently open without further movement of the dog. The cam, however,being released, the operator may rotate the shaft K, and in suchrotation the protuberance M22 of the cam, operating under the point ofthe finger N',

swings the dog positively in a direction toy open the mouth of thecoin-track sufficiently to allow the coin to escape and pass into thecoin-chamber, such swinging movement of .the dog being permitted by theretreating edge of the protuberance M21 at the opposite edge of the cam.One rotationof the shaft K causes the rubber tips K2 K2 of thesheetfeeding lingers to be pressed against the forward surface of thelower end portion of the outer sheet A, suspended on the hooks, and topress back the entire quantity of sheets on the plate C against thesprings D, causing sufficient frictional engagement of the lips with theouter sheet to detach the sheet from the hooks by pulling it down andcausing the eyes d CL to be torn out, and the lower edge thus pulleddown onto the ledge F is protruded through the rift or crevice betweenthe ledge and the guard-shelf G and brought into reach of the operatorand may be removed. One revolution of the shaft being completed, thecoin having been released and passed into the coin-receptacle duringsuch revolution, the shaft is locked by the engagement of the finger Nof the trip-dog with the shoulder M2o of the cam and a second revolutioncannot be made without the deposit of another coin adapted to operatethe trip-dog,

It is important that the sheet-feeding fingers after pressing the outersheets during a sufficient portion of their rotation to detach the sheetfrom the hooks revolve off and away from the sheet thus detached,leaving it, as well as the entire pile, not only free from the pressureof the fingers, but also free from any pressure, for it' it wereotherwise the presence of the large central aperture in the sheets wouldrender them liable to be torn in withdrawing if they were restrained atall, because the user would naturally seize the paper at the middle ornear the middle of the lower edge and so pull in line with the centralopening, with the certainty of tearing it in two instead of pulling itout whole. For this reason, therefore-#that is, in order that the papermaybe held forward with sufficient force to cause the fingers to engageit friclOO IIO

tionally with enough force to detach it from the pins, but shall be freefrom all restraint thereafter-the springs D are stopped at the bottom ofthe notches E2 in the ledge F at such point that they shall advance thecarriage only so far as to carry the sheets sufficiently forward to beengaged by the fingers during a short arc of the rotation of the latter,suflcient only to detach the sheet from the pins. For like reason it isimportant that lines from the engagement of the fingers with the paperto the points of suspension,respec tively, of the paper shall extend notacross the central opening, but at opposite sides of it, so -that thepull by which the paper is detached shall be exerted along theuninterrupted side portions and not across the aperture, which wouldmerely spread under the pull of the fingers, so that the paper would beliable to be torn in two across the central aperture instead of beingpulled off the pins. These features of my device distinguish it fromfamiliar devices for delivering newspapers or other solid or continuoussheets, as well as from devices designed for the delivery of smallersheets or cards, which are continuous and may be fed without regard tothe point of application of pressure or the lines of resist-ance andstrain due to the delivering action.

I claim- 1. In combination with a cabinet having a delivering-slot and apaper-carriage therein, means for suspending paper sheets against suchrarriage,springs adapted to advance the paper-carriage toward thedelivering-slot,and a stop which without pressure on the paper arreststhe advancing action of the spring upon the carriage and suitablefingers adapted to engage the paper by rotary movement, and to pass outof such engagement by the continuance of such movement.

2. In combination with the cabinet havinga delivery-slot; apaper-carriage therein; two widely-separated pins adapted to suspend thepaper sheets; a spring adapted to advance the carriage limitedly towardthe deliveryslot, and suitable means for arresting such advanceindependently of any encounter of the paper; the feed-fingers adapted toengage the face of the paper substantially in line with the pinsrespectively, and means for rotating them toward the paper to cause themto engage the face thereof and to pass out of engagement by thecontinuance of such rotation; whereby the paper is first detached fromthe pins by the action of the fingers, and subsequently freed from alldetention by the continuous rotation of the fingers.

3. In combination with a cabinet-case, the plate or frame C, hinged atthe upper end and suspended from such hinge within the case; a springacting upon the suspended frame or plate to force its lower end forward;a ledge which makes a widely-obtuse angle with the plane of the generalextent of the plate or frame and protrudes under said lower end when thelatter is thus forced forward, and which leads to a crevice or rift inthe case adapted to permit the passage of a sheet edgewise; means -forsuspending toilet-sheets at the upper 'part of the suspending frame orplate, and a rotatable shaft within said obtuse angle having fingersadapted to engage frictionally the forward surface of the outer sheet atthe lower end to detach it from its support, and to pass out ofengagement by the continuance of rotation; whereby the sheet is firstengaged and detached by the fingers, and directed edgewise obliquelyonto the ledge toward the crevice and then released by the fingers andleft free to be passed out through the crevice.

4. In combination with the cabinet having the ledge E, the swingingframe or plate C adapted at its end to swing over the inner edge of theledge, and the springs D which tend to hold the plate forward andoverhanging such ledge; suitable means at the upper part of the cabinetfor suspending toiletsheets, whereby they may rest against the frame orplate C, means adapted to be operated at will to disengage the outermostsheet, the springs D being arranged to protrude below the lower end ofthe suspended plate or frame C, and the ledge F having notches atsuitable points to admit the ends of the springs, whereby the springsare stopped at the depth of the notches, and the forward movement of theplate past the rear edge of the ledge is limited by said depth.

In testimony1 whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence oftwo witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 4th day of October, 1897.

CHARLES G. PETERSON.

Witnesses: Y

OHAs. S. BURTON, JEAN ELLIOTT.

IOO

